Rail anchor



July 17, 1923.

H. G. WARR RAIL ANCHOR Original Filed May 8 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jufiy R7, W23. 2,462,157 H. G. WARR RAIL ANCHOR Original Filed May 8, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 117, I323.

HAROLD G. WARE, 0F PARK RIDGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE P & M COM? CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BAIL ANCHOR.

Original application filed May 8, 1919, Serial No. 295,555 Renewed March 2, 1921, Serial No. 9,077. Patent No. 1,415,743, dated May 9, 1922. Divided and this application filed August 25, 1921. Serial no. ceases.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD Gr. VVARR, a citizen of the United States, .residing at Park Ridge, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Anchors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail anchors, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved one-piece rail anchor which may be quickly and conveniently applied to or removed from a rail, which willmaintain its initial hold on the rail by exerting spring pressure against opposite edges of the rail base, which will be substantially rigid when in its applied position, and which will increase its grip on the rail during the presence of creeping pressures on the rail.

The invention consists in the provision of a new and improved one-piece anchor, constructed as hereinafter described and claimed, for carrying out the above stated objects and such other objects as will appear from the following description.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention applied to a rail;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of a rail anch'or before the same is applied to a rail, and illustrates particularly the twisting set which is given to the anchor in manufacture for1 the purpose to be hereinafter described; an

Fig. 5 is an end elevation illustrating the meihod of application of the device to the ra1 Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 designates a railroad rail and 11, one of the cross-ties on which the rail is supported.

The anchor consists of a single piece of metal cut and bent, preferably, from a fiat piece of steel having some elasticity. The anchor is formed at one end with a hook portion 12 providing a jaw adapted to fit over one edge of the rail base, the lip 13 of the jaw being bent forwardly, that is, in the direction of the tie against which the anchor bears, and engaging with the upper surface of the rail base. The other end of the device is formed with a return bent portion 14 which is recessed adjacent the bend, as shown at 15, to provide a jaw having a lip 16 projecting over the other edge of the rail base. The return bent portion pro Vides an abutment which bears against one of the vertical faces of the tie 11, and is recessed as shown at 17 to form a jaw which fits over the edge of the rail base at a point adjacent the tie on the same side of the rail as engaged by the jaw 15. The portion 18 of the device extends diagonally across the rail base and when applied to the rail the vertical shoulder 19 of the jaw 12 bears against one vertical edge of the rail and the vertical edges 20 and 21 of the jaws 15 and 17, engage the vertical edge of the rail base at the opposite side of the rail. The anchor is preferably made so that the effective distance between the jaws 12 and 17, when the device is free of the rail, is less than the distance the device has to span when being applied to or in its operative position on the rail. In other words, in applying the anchor, the jaws 12 and 17 have to be forced away from each other. The anchor, when in its appliedposition, is .subjected to a torsional strain. To accomplish this, the portion 18 of the anchor intervening between the jaws 12 and 15 is given a slight twisting set, as best shown in Fig. 4;, this set being permanent so that the jaws 12 and 17 stand obliquely to each other before the anchor is applied to the rail. The anchor in its application is given .a twist in the opposite direction by forcing the tie abutment 22 of the return bent portion 14 downwardly. The obliquity of the jaws 12 and 17 is partly or wholly straightened out by this reverse twisting action, so that the anchor when applied to its position is stressed sufliciently to maintain its initial grip on the rail by spring pressure. The edge 23 of the portion of the jaw below the recess 17 is beveled so as to provide a cam surface which may be forced over the edge of the base flange of the rail during the application of the device,

, end of the return flexed outwardly .the device to the rail.

The return bent portion is formed with relatively sharp bends so that the portion 14 will be relatively straight and, preferably, it diverges outwardly from the edge of the rail in a direction away from the tie 11. This construction prevents the tie abutting bent portion from being in a manner tending to loosen the grip of jaw 17 on the rail, during the presence of creeping pressure. The lip 16 of the jaw 15 provides a fulcrum on which the jaw portion 17 of the return bent portion is rocked during the application of The portion 18, extending diagonally across the rail, effects a shackle hold of the jaws l2 and 15 on opposite edges of the rail base, so that the device. will increase its grip on the rail during a creeping pressure, and thereby resist the creeping forward of the rail, that is, in the direction from the anchor toward the tie against which the anchor bears, and the hold which it takes upon the rail is maintained as against vibration or other disturbing influences, because the device is elastic and is under stress when in position on the rail. The anchor, however, will permit the rail to move in the opposite direction without carrying the anchor with it, and this is desirable because the rearward movement of the anchor is likely to be interfered with by the ballast. By making the device of steel having some elasticity, and by stressing the device when applied to the rail, its use is possible on rails having bases somewhat narrower or thinner than the maximum dimensions of those for which the device is designed. The expanding of the return bent portion of the anchor necessary for applying the device to the rail takes care of any slight differences of width of a given rail base. The torsional strain due to the straightening out of the anchor during application will accommodate it for rail bases of different thickness, or having upper surfaces of different slope. It will ordinarily be necessary to apply the device to the rail a short distance back of the tie, as indicated in Fig. 5. When so applied, it may be first striking one end until the tie abutting portion below the jaw l7 is brought against the front face of the tie 11, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The tie abutting portion, preferably, terminates adjacent the edge of the rail base so as to confine its contact with the tie to a point adjacent the edge of the rail base. With this construction, the anchor may assume different positions, without changing the point of contact with the tie.

This application is a division of my 00- ppnding application, Serial No. 449,077, filed arch 2, 1921, as a renewal of my application Serial No. 295,555 filed May 8, 1919,

and then the other,

driven toward the tie by and now Patent 9, 1922.

I claim:

1. A one-piece rail anchor recessed at one end and formed with a forwardly projecting lip to engage the base of the rail at one side thereof, a return bent portion at the other end, the major part of which is substantially straight and diverges from one edge of the rail base in a direction away from the tie, said return bent portion formed with a rail base abutment provided with an overhanging lip and terminating in a recessed portion adapted to engage the rail base and bear against the tie, and a connecting web which has a permanent twisting set, said return bent ortion formed, below the recess therein, with a beveled surface, for the purpose described.

2. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member provided at one end with a jaw portion formed with a forwardly projecting lip for engaging one side of a rail, and at the other end with a return bent portion terminating in a jaw'portion for engaging the other side of the rail, said jaws being positioned so that they are forced apart and so that said member is given a torsional strain when the anchor is applied to a rail.

3. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member provided at one end with means for engaging one side of a rail and formed at the other end with a rail base abutment provided with an over-hanging lip and with a. return bent portion terminating in a recessed portion adapted to engage the rail base and bear against a tie; said means and recessed portion being positioned so that said member is given a torsional strain when the anchor is applied to a rail.

4. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member provided at one end with means for engaging one side of a rail, at the other end with a ra1l base abutment provided with an over-hanging lip and with a return bent portion terminating in a recessed portion adapted to engage the rail base and bear against a tie, and a web between said rail engaging means and said rail base abutment which has a permanent twisting set; said return bent portion being formed, below the recess therein, with a beveled surface, for the purpose described.

5. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member formed at one end with a jaw portion provided with a forwardly projecting lip for engaging one edge of a rail base, at the other end with a return bent portion terminating in a recessed portion providing a jaw adapted to fit over the other edge of the rail base and to bear against a tie, and an intermediate with a twisting set adapted to be stressed by forcing saidrecessed portion downwardly #1,415,743, granted May web portion formed over the edge of the rail base; said return bent portion being formed, below the reces therein, with a beveled surface for the purpose described.

6. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member formed at one end with a jawportion provided with a forwardly projecting lip for engaging one edge of a rail base, at the other end with a return bent portion, the major part of which is substantially straight diverges from one edge of the rail base in a direction away from the tie and terminates in a recessed portion providing a jaw adapted to fit over the other edge of the rail base and to bear against a tie, and an intermediate web portion formed with a twisting set adapted to be stressed by forcing said recessed portion downwardly over the edge of the rail'base; said return bent portion being formed, below the recess therein, with a beveled surface for the purpose described.

7. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member formed at one end with a jaw portion provided with a forwardly projecting lip for engaging one edge of a rail base, at the other end with a return bent portion, the major part of which is substantially straight, diverges from one edge of the rail base in a direction away from the tie and terminates in a recessed portion providing a jaw adapted to fit over the other edge of the rail base and to bear against a tie, and an intermediate web portion formed with a twisting set adapted to be stressed by forc ing said recessed portion downwardly over the edge of the rail base; said return bent portion being formed, below the recess therein, with a beveled surface for the purpose described and the said jaws being arranged so that they are forced apart when the anchor is in its operative position on a rail.

8. A rail anchor comprising ,a spring metal member provided at one end with a jaw having a lip bent obliquely to the body portion of said member to engage the upper surface of a rail base and at the other end with a rail base abutment providing an overhanging lip and with a return bent portion, the major part of which is substantially straight, diverges from one edge of the rail base in a direction away from the tie and terminates in a recessed portion adapted to engage the rail base and bear against a tie.

9. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member provided at one end with a jaw having a lip bent obliquely to the body portion of said member to engage the upper surface of a rail base and at the other end with a rail base abutment providing an overhanging lip and with a return bent portion terminating in a recessed portion adapted to engage the rail base and bear against a tie; said jaw and said recessed extremity being arranged so that they are forced apart and so that said member is given a torsional strainwhen the anchor'is applied to a rail.

10. A rail anchor comprising a spring metal member provided at one end with a jaw having a lip bent obliquely to the body portion of said member to engage the upper surface of a rail base, at the other end with a rail base abutment providing an overhanging lip and with a return bent portion terminating in a recessed portion adapted to engage the rail base and bear against a tie, and an intermediate web portion having a permanent twisting set; said jaw and said recessed extremity being arranged so that they are forced apart and so that said memher is given a torsional strain when the anchor is applied to a rail.

11. A one piece rail anchor consisting of a bar formed to extend diagonally across a rail base, provided at one end with a jaw for engaging one edge of said base and at the other end with a return bent portion, the major part of which is substantially straight, which terminates in means for engaging the other edge of said base and for hearing against a tie; said tie engaging portion be ing formed to engage substantially the same point on the tie when the said bar assumes different positions on the rail base.

12. A one piece rail anchor consisting of a bar formed to extend diagonally across a rail base provided at one end with a jaw for engaging one edge of said base and at the other with a return bent portion, the major part of which is substantially straight,

which terminates in means for engaging the other edge of said rail base and for hearing against a tie; said tie engaging portion being formed to engage the tie at a point near the edge of the rail base, when the said bar assumes different positions on the rail base.

13. A one piece rail anchor consisting of a bar formed to extend diagonally across a rail base, provided at one end with a jaw for en aging one edge of said base and at the other end with a return bent portion terminating in means for engaging the other edge of said base and for hearing against a tie; said tie engaging portion terminating substantially at the edge of the rail base so as to confine its engagement with the tie to a point on said tie near the edge of the rail.

HAROLD G. WARR. 

